President Basescu at the European Commission, 22 April 2010

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Swedish Adoptees Speak Out Against Child Trafficking

12 foreign adoptees: Western needs should not allow human trafficking.

We support the Social Ministry's decision not to extend adoption agreement with Vietnam.

We want to protest against the Western-centric perspective that dominates the international adoption business, and defend our and all other adoptees right not to have to live with the suspicion that irregularities were committed in terms of our own adoptions, such as excessive commonly forged documents, false identities and invented stories, are writing 12 foreign adoptees.

The international adoption business since the turn of the millennium not only exploded in scale with the now nearly 40 000 adoptions per year, but was also shaken by a variety of reports on irregularities. Never before were so many children from the Third World adopted to the West, but at the same time, the business has never before involved so many corruption scandals than just in the 2000s.

Due to the falling birth rate in the West and growing prosperity in many countries in the Third Worldm international adoption is today facing an unprecedented situation: There are now more childless adults in the West who want to adopt, than there are adoptable children in the Third World. Then increasing sums of money in circulation have tagged this delicate situation for activities that increasingly are spiraling out in pure human trafficking.

Therefore, the adoption scandals were repeatedly documented over the recent years in leading countries such as China, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Brazil, Paraguay and Guatemala. This has led many beneficiary countries such as Germany, England, Canada, Holland and Australia to terminate its adoption agreement with the most corruption-stricken countries of origin.

In Sweden, which is the country in the world that proportionately adopted far the largest number of foreign-born children, have adoption organisations, however, chosen to ignore the destructive developments by expanding its operations into new countries that are notorious for child trafficking, and by continuing to adopt from such countries with the argument that the Swedes have a higher morale than other Westerners. In 2002, for example Adoptionscenter got authorisation of the State Agency for International Adoption Affairs to adopt from Cambodia, despite reporting about trafficking and the U.S. that stopped adoptions from the country. The authorization was later lifted after the Swedish Embassy in Cambodia protested against this with reference to the extensive trafficking in the country.

Now this pattern was recently repeated by Social Affairs that decided not to extend the adoption agreement with Vietnam with reference to the presence of child trafficking, and that the country is not to enter the Hague Convention on Protection of Children in International adoptions. This convention back in 1993 meant to curb an increasingly uncontrollable adoption industry, but still Sweden has a number of Swedish adoption agencies engaged in activities in countries of origin, including Korea, Thailand and Colombia, that not signed the Convention.

We wish to express our support for the Social Ministry's decision not to extend the adoption agreement with Vietnam. Western needs to receive adopted children should not steer the international adoption industry, thus risking that trade in human beings gets legitimized and legalized.

As foreign adoptees, we want to protest against the Western-centric perspective that today dominates the international adoption affairs, and assert our and all other adopted children's right not to have to live with the suspicion that irregularities occurred in terms of our own adoptions, as they are unfortunately too common, with forged documents, false identities and fake histories, which is a consequence of the adult needs and profit-making governing the international adoption business.

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Romania - For Export Only

the untold story of the Romanian ' orphans' gives an insider’s look into the adoption kitchen, where the most used ingredients are political pressure and emotional blackmail. A nexus of adoption agencies, adoptive parents and politicians are using their powers to ensure that intercountry adoptions continue. Often they are successful. However, in Romania they were not. The Romanian government, with support of the European Union, stood firm and took the decision to no longer export their children. A decision the adoption industry continues to challenge now for five years.

The reader is taken along on an eight-year-travel, from 1999 to end 2006, and will be shown the story of the Romanian ‘orphans’ from a different light, where global politics and private interests compete with the rights of the child.

copyright De Telegraaf

Victor Bostinaru, Member of the European Parliament, said:

Roelie Post dares to describe a taboo-issue at a level that can compare with the works of Noreena Hertz and the movie Constant Gardener. Unfortunately such reporting in general does not receive a lot of media attention, because of
its political sensitivity. If you read the book, you find out why. A nest of scorpions of big (business) interests interwoven with political and social
actors, and the large demand for adoptable children, creates indeed a market functioning that until now was systematically denied. As a result the discussion remained in the margins of society.

Cathy Wagner said:

Roelie Post allows the reader a unique insiders view regarding the politics of international adoption. It was an eye-opening account that not many are willing to share to the outside world.In her experience with Romania’s orphan care and international adoption program, Ms. Post begins her journey as many do (innocent) and as her knowledge about the politics behind international adoption grows-- revelations on the real truth behind the industry of international adoption becomes quite clear.Never again can I look at the “black and white” pictures of the "poor orphans" that rely on us to “save” them with the same naïve eyes. This book offers amazing parallels into other international programs-- including China. Ms. Post talks about the points system, safe-haven drops, attachment studies on orphans, media attention and the pressure from outside countries and NGO’s to gain access to Romania’s children... all of which are familiar themes in many IA programs.While it was heart-warming to know that there are many people who work very hard to preserve children’s rights, it is equally scary to understand the underlying situation that most will never get to see.This is a must-read book for anyone entering into the world of international adoption.Cathy Wagner, 11 December 2008

A reader from the UK said:

Just finished reading your book.What a story.Clearly there is a huge interest in getting children.In your book someone said that if no more adoptions they'll have to start cloning; and what about the posters with 'children give us power'...So, an excellent book on evidence for what is, in part, going on.Good luck with de Combret.18 September 2008

VIVID - Romania

Not only did the Romanian government come under tremendous pressure from politicians in the US politicians and in some EU member states (namely, Italy and France) but Roelie Post was continually harassed in her job at the Commission. Her book is a blow by blow account of the main lobbyists in Brussels, with scandalous walk on parts from the likes of Silvio Berlusconi and Romano Prodi. For anyone interested in the intriguing international adoption story this book is essential reading.19 November 2007Read the full articlePosted by Roelie at 19:190 comments

AntiAdopt said...

This book unravels not only the mechanism behind adoption, but also how the interests of rich parties dominate politics. The Dutch version of the book might be easier to read than the English one. Much recommended.Applause for Ms. Post and her colleagues who stood up for what is morally right, against aggressive and powerful parties. If we could have counted on the fact that your kind is the only one, we might have voted YES [for the European Convention]. 13 August 2007http://antiadoptie.blogspot.com

Niels says...

Romania - For Export Only is a captivating book. I read it cover to cover over the week-end. It is a very well documented account in diary style of the wheelings and dealings over the access to Romanian orphans. At times it can be a tough read, because she gives many details of the Romanian case. Fortunately the book is much more than cold facts and figures. Roelie Post keeps closely focused on the child's best interest, both in her work and in the story she has to tells us.13 August 2007http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/4544#comment-1483

Marian van Teeffelen, Coördinator Roemenië Kinderpostzegels, says

When will the interest of the child be finally at the centre? The book of Roelie Post makes clear how easy this principle of the Convention on the Right of the Child is put aside. And replaced by the wishes of a few doubtful Western organisations. With this the de-institutionalisation process in Romania was frustrated and a more humane local approach of the issue hampered. Already beginning ‘90s many Romanians were ready to take children out of the orphanages, where they often lived in diar circumstances, to take them into their family. But it took years before they got this chance. And the story goes on, in other countries.
What is the EU about? About the Rights of the Child, or the pressure of a doubtful Western lobby? 15 June 2007

Press release FPPF

Her book reads like an exciting tale of mystery and espionage as she uncovers memos, files and emails that spell out a "point system" pitting American against Europeans as to who can pay more and thus get more children for adoption; phonied photos to make conditions look more dire than they are to increase private and public funding that seldom got to the children or the employees caring for them...as Roelie discovered on her field trips to the Romanian orphanages.

Marc RAEYMAECKERS, Consultant Child Protection Romenia 91-94, said...

Even if this book is not going to change the world, or Romania for that matter, at least you have been on the side of the good guys/girls. "Bad things happen because good people fail to act", you did.
Noroc
Monday, March 19, 2007 8:16:00 PM

Iza Niewiadomska said...

I read it over the weekend: forget Agatha Christie if you get real stories like this! I could not put it down till the very last page. Respect, Roelie and others who worked on this.
Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:25:00 PM

David Haworth, Irish Daily Mail said...

This is a shocking and forensic case history of how the lobbying nexus can work in Brussels, threats and all, as children's lives are cynically disposed of between the "In" files and the "Out". Few players emerge well from this story and some are out-and-out black hat villains. A salutary antidote to the EU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Friday, March 02, 2007 5:40:00 PM

Paul van Buitenen Member of the European Parliament said...

As a former European Commission official, I know that it is not obvious to write such a book. It is courageous and necessary to put this story on paper, as many misconceptions about the Romanian children's adoption issue float around and have even caused the European Parliament to adopt a misguided written declaration on this issue. Well done Roelie! Thursday, March 01, 2007 11:17:00 AM

Rupert Wolfe-Murray said...

Bravo Roelie. I am delighted that someone has finally told this story. I also know that she was the driving force behind Romani's reform of its child welfare system. Rupert Wolfe Murray, Thursday, March 01, 2007 10:30:00 AM

Brian Douglas (British Humanitarian) said...

I am delighted to see that the Author has taken the time to put this book together. It is for certain a story that needs telling, so the world can read this untold, true story of Romania's orphans and I recommend the public to purchase a copy, so that they will understand the truth of the interferences that tried to protect their interests rather than that of the children. Well done Roelie! Sunday, February 25, 2007 4:20:00 PM